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Skin science article

Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Gel Exfoliant Versus COSRX AHA 7 Whitehead Power Liquid

Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Gel Exfoliant Versus COSRX AHA 7 Whitehead Power Liquid This pore-care exfoliator is formulated around Salicylic Acid and Phytosphingosine to refine the look of pores and refine skin texture. This smoothing exfoliator is f

By Peptide Skincare & Beauty Editorial TeamPublished

Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Gel Exfoliant Versus COSRX AHA 7 Whitehead Power Liquid

This pore-care exfoliator is formulated around Salicylic Acid and Phytosphingosine to refine the look of pores and refine skin texture.

This smoothing exfoliator is formulated around Glycolic Acid and Niacinamide to refine skin texture and clear breakouts.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Methylpropanediol

Butylene Glycol

Polysorbate 20

Salicylic Acid

Phytosphingosine

Hydroxyethylcellulose

Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract

Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract

Epilobium Angustifolium Extract

Bisabolol

Tetrasodium EDTA

Sodium Hydroxide

Water, Methylpropanediol, Butylene Glycol, Polysorbate 20, Salicylic Acid, Phytosphingosine, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract, Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract, Epilobium Angustifolium Extract, Bisabolol, Tetrasodium EDTA, Sodium Hydroxide

Pyrus Malus Fruit Water

Glycolic Acid

Niacinamide

1,2-Hexanediol

Panthenol

Sodium Hyaluronate

Xanthan Gum

Ethyl Hexanediol

Pyrus Malus Fruit Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycolic Acid, Niacinamide, Sodium Hydroxide, 1,2-Hexanediol, Panthenol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Xanthan Gum, Ethyl Hexanediol

Reviews

Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:

Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.

Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.

Sodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.

In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.

Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.

"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.

Similar Comparisons

The reference edit

Ingredients, questions
& further reading.

Connected source records selected through this article’s public topic index.

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Formula cabinet

Ingredients & structured notes

Ingredient index

Paula's Choice Calm Nourishing Milky TonerIngredients explained

  1. 01Good old water, aka H2O. The most common skincare ingredient of all. You can usually find it right in the very first spot of the ingredient list, meaning it’s the biggest thing out of all the stuff that makes up the product.
  2. 02It’s mainly a solvent for ingredients that do not like to dissolve in oils but rather in water.
  3. 03Expand to read more
  4. 04Once inside the skin, it hydrates, but not from the outside - putting pure water on the skin (hello long baths!) is drying.
  5. 05One more thing: the water used in cosmetics is purified and deionized (it means that almost all of the mineral ions inside it is removed). Like this, the products can stay more stable over time.
  6. 06A multi-functional, silky feeling helper ingredient that can do quite many things. It's used as an emulsion stabilizer, solvent and a broad spectrum antimicrobial. According to manufacturer info, it's also a moisturizer and helps to make the product…
  7. 07A natural moisturizer that’s also in our skin
  8. 08A super common, safe, effective and cheap molecule used for more than 50 years
  9. 09Not only a simple moisturizer but knows much more: keeps the skin lipids between our skin cells in a healthy (liquid crystal) state, protects against irritation, helps to restore barrier
  10. 10Effective from as low as 3% with even more benefits for dry skin at higher concentrations up to 20-40%
  11. 11High-glycerin moisturizers are awesome for treating severely dry skin
  12. 12Propanediol is a natural alternative for the often used and often bad-mouthed propylene glycol. It's produced sustainably from corn sugar and it's Ecocert approved.
  13. 13It's quite a multi-tasker: can be used to improve skin moisturization, as a solvent, to boost preservative efficacy or to influence the sensory properties of the end formula.
  14. 14A biodegradable emollient that gives a fresh gliding sensation and a powdery after feel. It works well with all kinds of oils including natural and silicone oils.
  15. 15An easy-to-formulate, commonly used, nice to have ingredient that’s also called pro-vitamin B5. As you might guess from the “pro” part, it’s a precursor to vitamin B5 (whose fancy name is pantothenic acid).
  16. 16Its main job in skincare products is to moisturise the skin. It’s a humectant meaning that it can help the skin to attract water and then hold onto it. There is also research showing that panthenol can help our skin to produce more lovely lipids tha…
  17. 17Another great thing about panthenol is that it has anti-inflammatory and skin protecting abilities. A study shows that it can reduce the irritation caused by less-nice other ingredients (e.g. fragrance, preservatives or chemical sunscreens) in the p…
  18. 18Research also shows that it might be useful for wound healing as it promotes fibroblast (nice type of cells in our skin that produce skin-firming collagen) proliferation.
  19. 19If that wasn’t enough panthenol is also useful in nail and hair care products. A study shows that a nail treatment liquide with 2% panthenol could effectively get into the nail and significantly increase the hydration of it.
  20. 20As for the hair the hydration effect is also true there. Panthenol might make your hair softer, more elastic and helps to comb your hair more easily.
Source · incidecoder.com ⟶
02

Product index

Related product references

Product

Paula's Choice Pc4Men Daytime Protect

Paula's Choice Pc4Men Daytime Protect Paula's Choice Pc4Men Daytime Protect ingredients explained: Avobenzone (3%), Homosalate (7%), Octocrylene (2%), Oxybenzone (4%), Water (Aqua), Butylen…

Source: incidecoder.comView reference →
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Comparison edit

Read side by side

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